A broadening feud between video providers in key communities throughout the country is driving the adage home that all politics is local. Verizon Communications brought its battle over regional sports networks to Capitol Hill last week, urging lawmakers to close a 17-year-old "terrestrial loophole" through which cable operators with programming assets can avoid FCC program access requirements.

The exemption to the 1992 Cable Act rules, which apply to satellite-delivered content, has allowed cable companies to maintain exclusivity on certain content in certain cities, said Verizon Vice President Terrence Denson, whose company offers the fiber-optic FiOS video service. AT&T, which has a similar product, has joined with Verizon to wage war against Cablevision at the FCC, and the two have a case pending.

In New York City, Cablevision owns Madison Square Garden and offers coverage of professional sports teams, concerts and more. Verizon was denied standard definition format of MSG networks' sports programming until it filed its initial FCC complaint. It is currently unable to tap MSG's high-definition broadcasts, and Cablevision has asserted the HD feed is excused from program access rules.

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